Standards to Boost Cybersecurity

NC State joins a nationwide effort to protect the country’s computer infrastructure by hosting a workshop on an emerging set of standards designed to safeguard critical public and private networks from cyberattacks.

The workshop, scheduled for Nov. 14-15 in the Hunt Library, will focus on the cybersecurity preliminary framework being created by the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology. The framework is being reviewed in meetings across the nation in anticipation of its official release next February.

The Hunt Library workshop, sponsored by NC State’s Industrial Extension Service, is an opportunity for individuals and organizations to provide input to ensure that the framework is effective and workable. Although registration is closed, you can view a webcast of the event online.

Flexible Approach

The preliminary framework is designed to enable critical infrastructure owners and operators to reduce cybersecurity risks in industries such as power generation, transportation and telecommunications. It outlines a set of steps that can be customized and adapted by both large and small organizations to provide a consistent approach to cybersecurity. It offers a common language and mechanism for organizations to determine and describe their current cybersecurity posture, as well as their target state. The framework will help them to identify and prioritize opportunities for improvement, lessen risk and assess progress toward goals.

The framework also will foster communication among internal and external stakeholders and help organizations maintain strong protections while allowing flexibility for specific approaches tailored to their market and regulatory environment. Its integrated approach focuses on outcomes rather than any particular technology to encourage innovation.